State Security Service detained a Namangan resident who distributed extremist materials via Telegram

State Security Service field officers detained a resident of Namangan city (Uzbekistan) who was distributing extremist materials through Telegram, a Podrobno.uz correspondent reports.

A 31-year-old Uzbek man fell under the influence of destructive forces through social media. After that, he created a group in the Telegram messenger, which comprised men aged 27 to 36 years. In this group he was distributing the sermons of the ideologues of proscribed extremist movements such as Sodik Samarkandi, Abdulloh Zufar, Abdulloh Bukhori, Mahmud Abdulmumin and Abu Saloh.

He also urged his acquaintances to go to Syria to commit “hijrat” and “jihad”, to join the ranks of the Katibat al Tawhid wal Jihad (KTJ) foreign terrorist organization that has been banned in Uzbekistan since 2016.

A criminal case was initiated against him under Article 244-1 (Production, Storage, Distribution or Demonstration of Materials Containing a Threat to Public Safety and Public Order) of the Criminal Code. An offense under this article is punishable by imprisonment from five to eight years.

Investigative actions are being carried out against other participants of the Telegram group.